Gene Sperling

is not an economist but deserves to be praised
anyway: there is no one with a keener nose for how to make arguments
for good economic policies that will be politically effective.

A passage from Robert Woodward's book, The
Agenda, about the first nine months of Clinton Administration
economic policy. The book shares the standard--major--defects
of Woodward books: those who cooperated with him are far-sighted
stewards of the public welfare; those who did not cooperate are
malevolent and mean-spirited enemies of justice, democracy, and
the American way. So the book needs to be taken with many grains
of salt.

But this passage shows why Gene Sperling deserves praise. It
describes the scene in the west wing of the White House just after
the passage of the Clinton deficit-reduction plan...

[Deputy Treasury Secretary Roger] Altman was
pulled along, mounted a chair, and held up a T-shirt.... The room
exploded with wild cheering. He read a David Letterman-style top-ten
list: The Top Ten Reasons Why Congress Really Passed the Economic
Plan.... Not to offend Hillary. So congressmen won't be required
to lunch with the president again. So congressmen won't have to
negotiate with Bob Dole at Andrews Air Force Base...

"Lloyd! Lloyd!" the rhythmic chant went up for Bentsen....
The secretary of the Treasury was bubbling.... He said he respected
the work particularly of the young people. "I've seen lots
of presidents and lots of hard victories," Bentsen said,
"but this is the sweetest!"...

[Gene] Sperling was summoned to speak. He said that he knew
he was teased all the time about being the numbers guy, but he
wanted to read some numbers anyway. He had a little sheet of paper
which he held out in front of himself as he read from it nervously.
Because Bill Clinton had run and was elected president, Sperling
said, 5 million people who worked full time at the minimum wage
would receive the earned income tax credit, and 10 million would
receive additional benefits so that every family with a full-time
working parent would be above the poverty line. Another 100,000
children would get the intensive family-preservation counseling
and soical services because of Clinton. Another 4.5 million children
would get hunger relief through increased food stamps, 600,000
more poor women with children would get better nutrition, and
6.5 million children would be eligible for free immunization shots....

[Paul] Begala spoke next. "I want to follow up on what
Gene said, and I want to make it personal. Let's all remember
the faces you saw on the campaign. Those were the faces we worked
for. Those faces stand for real people, and you've helped the
lives of thoes real people. That's why we came here."